[MRT-Man]

The first thing after an hour of charging was to hear my iPhone X playlist consisting of Jazz at the Pawnshop, Chopin Ballads,Akina Nakamori and Momoe Yamaguchi. Piano was very clean from low (<60hz) to those easily in the 10K and beyond. The crispness with these KSE1200 was very similar to the SR009. The imaging is not as wide as the Stax but I was surprised that The Shure were not as confined as I was prepared for. It was much more open than the Shure 846.

Initially, I did hear more details from the KSE1200 with singer's lips smacks, breaths, and instruments localization than on the Stax. I think this is due to the -30db isolation. I will be trying out new tips, in the process of making the KSE1200 disappear.

Wow. So if detail retrieval is comparable, what's the Stax better at, other than imaging? Is the Stax generally just 5% better, in terms of overall sound/transparency/etc (to the extent this can be quantified) rather than being like 10-20% better? I guess where I'm going with this is whether or not it makes any sense to invest in a Stax system if I already have the KSE.

 

[paulchiu]

Wow. So if detail retrieval is comparable, what's the Stax better at, other than imaging? Is the Stax generally just 5% better, in terms of overall sound/transparency/etc (to the extent this can be quantified) rather than being like 10-20% better? I guess where I'm going with this is whether or not it makes any sense to invest in a Stax system if I already have the KSE.

I would say after a day (still burning in) probably not for you. As to make the Stax sing, you need tube amps and that is a major commitment.

 

[jbrownson]

Just out of curiosity, how similar, or different, is it to the SR009? (I own the KSE1500 but have never heard a Stax).

I have 009Ss and KSE 1500. The level of detail is similar, but the 009s are far superior in a way I'm not sure I can describe. I suspect it's the quality of the driver I'm using (Carbon CC) and them being open vs the closed KSE 1x00.

For me it's all about detail and the KSE 1500 is a great substitute when I'm not at home, but at home I use the Stax.

Both combined w/ a good source (I like Chord) beat any dynamic headphone out there if you're into detail as much as I am.

 

[paulchiu]

BTW
does the charging on the KSE1200 amp shut off by itself?

 

[Ni3tzsch3]

Hey, I have a few questions I was hoping someone could answer.

1) I've read there is buzzingwhile the amp is being charged? Is this always the case or is there some way prevent this? Also will a portable battery bank cause the buzzing?
2) As sin as it is, can the KSE1x00 run through a phone's DAC (no hissing or buzzing or anything)? I understand it will be limited.

Thanks!

 

[Tachikoma]

1) I haven't noticed any buzzing when charging. The only time I heard it buzz was when I charged the KSE from my laptop while listening to the same laptop's analog output, which created a ground loop.
2) Yes, there won't be any hiss unless you max out the volume on the KSE amp.

 

[tekkster]

Hey, I have a few questions I was hoping someone could answer.

1) I've read there is buzzingwhile the amp is being charged? Is this always the case or is there some way prevent this? Also will a portable battery bank cause the buzzing?
2) As sin as it is, can the KSE1x00 run through a phone's DAC (no hissing or buzzing or anything)? I understand it will be limited.

Thanks!

When I use a DAP with the KSE1200, and I use a portable USB battery to charge both devices at the same time, I get buzzing in the KSE1200.
It doesn't matter what battery I use. I have multiple Goal Zeros (Sherpa and Venture), multiple Anker batteries of different sizes, with basic ports up to IQ ports.

The problem does not occur when I use a USB battery to charge only the KSE1200. So, it's not a problem for me. I just bring two small batteries instead of one large one.

 

[thermos]

I'm selling my pair of KSE1200 in the classifieds, including a Sonarworks profile I had made. Pretty cool to hear these phones with correction.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Wow.

 

[Pro-Jules]

I plan to sell a body part to get these.

 

[paulchiu]

I plan to sell a body part to get these.

Keep both ears

 

[b0r0b]

Keep both ears

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

lol they're good but nothing is worth that

 

[tekkster]

KSE1200 is damn good. Love it to death. Really full bodied while maintaining a ton of detail, and incredibly sharp attack (a.k.a. fast transients). A pretty rare combination.

I don't have other HiFi class IEMs to compare them to, since it's the best i have. But I will confess that for sheer sharpness of attack, that distinctive cliff at the beginning of each note or percussive hit, to me anyway, it doesn't "feel" quite as quick as the Utopia, Stellia, or SR009s.

So, these are definitely up there, and these are among the last pieces of audio gear I'd ever be willing to give up if ever desperate. But... as amazing as it is, I'd say that it might not be as big a "revelation" as some might think.

 

[Pro-Jules]

I can only imagine what a modern HiRes recording of harpsichord would sound like.